Warning: Violence

I ran to the bed and leaned down, wincing at the sight of the tubes that connected Jake to the machines that measured his vital signs. The ugly, pale things contrasted sharply against his russet skin.

"Jake, can you hear me?" I whispered hoarsely, unmindful of the nurse closing the door. I tried to read his thoughts, weak as they may be at the moment, but I got nothing.

"Jacob, I'm here." I gazed into his eyes. Wanting to brush my fingers against his hair, I splayed my hand on the border of the bed and whispered, "I'm so very sorry for what I did to you."

Jacob didn't answer and his mind remained blank. I groaned in frustration, but when I felt his warm fingers caressing my thumb I almost yelled. The gesture took me by surprise because I was used to divining his moves by reading him.

At the moment I didn't care because I rejoiced at the warmth of his touch. My wolf made it through the hard night; he survived the delicate operation that ensured he would heal properly, and I had been with Jacob all the way.

The contact stopped abruptly after he closed his eyes, and I noticed his parched lips.

Carlisle patted my shoulder, meaning he wanted me to step aside. He fiddled with the machines a bit, adjusting their settings so the nurses wouldn't know how high his metabolism really was.

"I couldn't read him," I said forlornly. Carlisle nodded while he stared intently at a monitor which showed peaks and valleys; the squiggly lines that measured the activity of his brain.

"Seems to be fine," Carlisle muttered. "Jacob's brain patterns are very normal for a person who's just had this type of surgery."

I inched my hand toward Jake's fingers and caressed them, willing him to answer as he had done before. He jerked his hand away, instead.

Maybe my wolf was still angry with me. I had to know if he intended to leave me, and I screamed inside my head because his mind was closed to me.

I took a tissue out of a box by the bedside and, after dipping it in water, gently rubbed Jake's lips. I brushed my fingers against the bandages, knowing they had cut off his hair; if there was a scar from the operation I wanted to kiss it away. For the moment I contented myself with tugging the sheets, not daring to intervene with the nurses' routine.

I sat back on the chair, ready to resume my vigil with lightened spirits. Jacob was alive and he knew I was here; his fingers instinctively sought mine and I felt relief. The worry about his anger blotted out part of my cheerfulness, though not as much as being unable to read his thoughts.

Rosalie touched my shoulder. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"I don't want to leave him," I said absently. What if there was a medical emergency while I was out? What if I lost him and I wasn't there to help?

Rosalie must have seen something in my face because she gently cupped my chin and tilted it up. "The doctors and nurses will take care of Jacob. You have no medical expertise, Edward; and we need to talk."

As I stood on the threshold, I gazed back at my wolf. Jake was unconscious; his chest slowly moved up and down while the reassuring sound of his breathing was joined by the dull humming of the machines.

Leah was talking to Seth on the corridor. When she saw us, she nudged Seth towards the door.

"What?"

"Stay with Jake. We have business with Edward." Leah grabbed Paul's hand and stood up.

Seth stepped towards me and patted my shoulder. "I'm sorry, man. Wish I could've protected Jake, he doesn't deserve this shit!"

Seth's condolences made me feel guilty. I thought he didn't know the stunt I pulled on Jacob until he whispered against my shoulder, "Paul told me he met Jake in the forest and talked with him."

Seth winked at me while he opened the door. "He'll forgive you."

oOoOo

We took the elevator and made our way to the lobby. Rosalie pointed towards a staircase which ended in a brightly lit hall. The four of us walked down the corridor without uttering a sound.

Rosalie took out a key from her pocket and opened a door. "They gave Carlisle a temporary office."

I growled, "I take it you want to talk about the poachers."

Rose nodded and walked towards the window, her smart jacket outlining her beautiful silhouette. As she put her palm on the window, the sunlight made her hand shimmer as if it was fashioned out of gemstones.

Meanwhile, Paul walked to the desk and leaned against it; his plaid shirt was the same color as Jacob's which reminded me of my wolf's plight. Shaking my head, I tried to concentrate on what they wanted to tell me.

"Don't know if Jacob told you, but we travelled to the Quinault Rez. There was an odd spur Jared sensed." Paul grabbed the clipboard on the desk and toyed with it. "Those stuck-ups wouldn't let us in if we didn't bring an elder with us."

I pointed out. "So Jake's father went."

"Uh-huh." Paul shrugged. "To make it short; after Billy spoke to them, they allowed us free rein. So when…" He pointed at Rosalie with the clipboard. "You barged in, we were ready."

"After I left you, Emmet and I tracked them," Rosalie said, her back turned to us. "It was hard to follow; those people have an odd, elusive scent. Luckily Emmett went with me, he's way better at tracking. Anyway, I stumbled upon the wolves in the forest and told them what happened."

"Those fuckers shot the heir of Ephraim Black!" Paul roared and stood up, the veins in his forehead bulging.

"Calm down, Paul." Leah caressed his elbow. "What's done is done. Cullen, what is important is that we have them surrounded."

"You haven't killed them?" I walked towards the window.

"We decided not to. There's this weird smell coming from them." Rosalie gracefully lifted her hand and spread her fingers. "It's like they're not human, but definitely they're not vampires."

"We didn't want to tackle them without learning more," said Leah, her gaze straying towards me. "That's where you come in."

"You want me to read their minds?" I nodded at her and then looked briefly at the cars outside.

"Sure." Leah walked towards me and patted my shoulder. "Not until Jake is out of danger, though; these suckers aren't going anywhere. Half the pack is there, plus the big guy…"

"Emmett stayed behind," Rosalie said. "He called Jasper on the phone; and Jasper should be there by now with Alice."

I tapped my fingers on the metal of the windowpane as I gazed down at the parking lot. There was no way I was leaving Jake until I was sure he would make it. On the other hand, I wanted so badly to get my hands around the necks of the damned bastards that shot my wolf. I needed to read their thoughts because there was no way they could have confused Jake with a normal wolf. They must have known beforehand he was a shapeshifter.

When Paul's stomach growled, Leah grinned at him. "Why don't you grab a bite at the cafeteria? It's down the corridor."

Paul stood up and walked to the door. He paused at the threshold and called over his shoulder. "You coming?"

"Nope, I have something I need to discuss with Rosalie."

"I'll go with you." I said, hoping to get more information about the bastards.

oOoOo

Paul bought four sandwiches and sat at the table nearest to the door; as he unwrapped the first one, he mumbled, "Girl talk, huh?"

"Yes."

While Paul ate, my mind strayed to the conversation between the two women.

"What do you want to talk about?" Rosalie said.

"Well, I wanted to find out if there's a place where vampires don't go."

"I don't know. Carlisle might know more about that because of his connection to the Volturi."

"Oh."

"Tell you what," Rosalie said. "I've a few connections of my own. They might be more willing to confide in a woman, so I'll ask around."

"That'd be fine."

"That's not all, is it?"

"Nope. I just… how do you manage, being a vampire and a…"

"Woman?"

"Yeah."

"I just do. I have hobbies of my own apart from the others, and I try to keep busy. Guess things are different for you?"

"The pack. You know how it is with guys."

"Don't I know it! Jake told me you're the first female shifter?"

"Yep, I have that disgrace."

"Look at it this way, Leah; things have changed since my days, though not as much as some people might think. Perhaps your joining the pack is… evolutionary and more girls will follow."

"Hey, man!" Paul waved his half-eaten sandwich at me.

"Sorry, Paul."

"As I was saying, when you get to the Quinault Rez, try to stay out of their way. We don't need any more problems with the neighbors."

I noticed that Paul tried to keep his distance from me. "I guess you're not comfortable being around me."

"Nothing personal, Cullen." Paul munched on the last sandwich. "Appreciate what you did for Jake and all that, but I just can't stand your scent."

oOoOo

When I returned to the office, Rosalie and Leah were gone. Instead my father sat on the leather chair.

Carlisle motioned to the other chair and then steepled his fingers. Even if I were unable to read his thoughts, the set of his shoulders and his worried face would have given me pause. I sat down with trepidation.

"Jacob is stable at the moment." He said, fingering his pen. "He's a remarkable young man with strong healing powers."

"I couldn't read his mind when he woke up," I muttered, looking down at the floor.

"I know, Edward. I'm sure you're aware of the nature of a brain lesion. Every person heals differently; some people present noticeable impairment and others… nothing."

I sighed despondently. "So you're telling me that…"

"I won't lie to you, son. I've been thinking about it ever since the operation. It occurred to me that Jacob is a shapeshifter, not a true werewolf. He phases when he wants; therefore, it is directed by his brain."

My shoulders sagged in defeat. "So my wolf might not shift again."

"It's too early to tell." Carlisle paused for a few seconds as he measured his words. "If you two decide to stay together, and he can't shift…"

"He will grow old and die while I stay young forever." I smiled bitterly at that. "It won't change a thing, Carlisle. I love him for his soul just as much as I admire his body. I won't care if we have a few decades at best; I just want to make him happy."

"I was sure that would be your answer, Edward." Carlisle said proudly; then he looked briefly at the ceiling. "It might be that Jacob's memory is distorted, son. I don't want you to be scared if he is disoriented when he wakes up. He might not remember your relationship."

This was a real blow. I yearned for Jacob to love me back, to resume the easygoing, flirty way I had come to enjoy so much; things with Bella had always been so serious.

"If it comes to that," I said after a few seconds. "I'll stand back and give him space. I respect him, Carlisle. I want him to feel safe and comfortable with me. If Jake should distrust me, I'll let him go for a while. Doesn't mean I won't protect him."

I was wary of Carlisle's mind. There was a subject he was avoiding while he marshaled all the facts in that ordered manner of his. It made me very uneasy because it was the style he affected when he told a patient they had an incurable disease.

He looked at the laptop on his desk and started calling up files. I could see that they were reports from CAT scans. When he glanced at the upper right tab, I noticed Quil's name. What was he afraid to tell me?

"There's another matter of great concern, Edward." He finished ordering the files and was looking at them, noting the finer points of grey blobs up and down the pictures of brain scans which only his educated eye could translate.

"What can be worse than seeing Jacob grow old while I stay young? Than having him snarl at me, forgetting all we shared?" My voice was tinged with self-pity, and then the awful truth hit me because there was something far worse than this.

Carlisle made tutting sounds. "Things are not that bad, son. Jacob will probably shift after he's healed." He leaned forward, looking sharply at me. "And he certainly wasn't snarling at you when he caressed your hand."

I sighed sadly because I was aware of Jake's worst nightmare.

"It's about the imprint," Carlisle said, confirming my fears.

I imagined the worst scenario. Jake told me pack members imprinted after phasing for the first time. And yet, Jacob had been phasing for a while now and hadn't imprinted.

The damned bullet affected his brain in such a way that the probability of him imprinting increased. I was condemned to stand by his side, worry constantly eating at me because he might imprint on any newcomer, perhaps even Leah. Was I fated to see him fall in love with a complete stranger? Most of all, I didn't want Jake chained to the horrible fate he decried so much.

"I need to know something, though." Carlisle leaned towards me and patted my arm. "Jake was very comfortable in the house. He doesn't appear to be bothered by our particular scent."

I smiled weakly, remembering our date in Portland. "No, he says he doesn't feel it anymore."

"Good, it's just as I thought. I need you to grasp some concepts, so please bear with my explanations."

I nodded, intrigued by his words. "Sure."

"The sense of smell is processed in the neocortex, but emotional associations are formed in the limbic system. It is the oldest part of our brain and controls emotions, sex, and eating. A key part of the limbic system is the hypothalamus."

I was startled. "You mentioned Jacob had a sliver of bone near there."

"Which I duly extracted. However, during the operation his hypothalamus was affected." Carlisle called up a file on his browser and turned the laptop towards me.

"Do you notice the changes here?"He pointed at a grey blur amid other shades of grey. Frankly, I couldn't make anything out of it.

"I'll take your word, Carlisle," I said wearily. I didn't want to see what the machines had made of my wolf's lovely mind.

Carlisle's finger slid across the touchpad and he opened windows which held other files. "Quil and Sam's scans differed exactly on the same spot I showed you. I compared the data against other Quileutes who haven't imprinted."

He smiled at me. "My conclusion is that the imprint affects the limbic system, specifically the hypothalamus. They can't help falling in love because the oldest, deepest portion of the brain convinces them they have done so."

Carlisle shook his head wonderingly. "The change is obviously controlled by the DNA contained in their extra pair of chromosomes. The added genes confer upon them the magic to operate the phasing."

I had to shake my head at that. I would join in Carlisle's obvious joy in his knowledge if the situation wasn't so dire.

Carlisle grinned reassuringly. "It may well be that the changes in Jake were already in place. He wasn't that bothered by our smell – the sense controlled by the hypothalamus – before he was shot. Perhaps the wound just accelerated the changes."

"So you are saying that Jake somehow imprinted on me?"

"We'll never know for sure."

I pushed the laptop towards him and leaned forward. "That's fine and dandy, but what does it mean for Jake? How does this affect him?"

Carlisle called up Jacob's file and showed it to me. "Do you see how this area differs both from Sam and Quil's tests as well as those from other pack members? Even normal Quileutes?" He beamed at me. "In layman's terms, Jacob has gone beyond the imprint."

"You mean after the bullet wounded him…"

"Exactly. There's no way his limbic system will change any further. Jacob won't ever imprint."

oOoOo

Carlisle's news cheered me up as I rode the elevator. Jacob would love to know he was free to choose whomever he wanted. I hoped I would be his choice but if he turned me down, I would let him go.

Carlisle was sure Jacob still retained the ability to shift. I grinned when I remembered Jacob's fingers touching me; that loving gesture, so like him, boded well for our relationship.

As I approached the room, I felt Billy Black's worry. Squaring my shoulders, I knocked softly on the door before entering.

"Sir."

"Cullen." Billy nodded curtly while his hand toyed with the wheel of his chair. He patted softly Jacob's hand and spoke to him in Quileute. His black hair framed his shoulders and Billy closed his eyes, his words rolling over me like the soothing sound of the sea.

There was something otherworldly in the language Billy spoke; it certainly sounded different than any other. I got the gist of Billy's thoughts: he was telling Jacob about their fishing trips.

He patted his son's chest so tenderly it made me ache. Such a scene had happened before; Billy remembered the time Jacob was hurt by the newborn army, and after my wolf phased for the first time.

After several minutes, Billy rolled the wheelchair towards the corner while I approached the bed. I saw grey color peeking underneath which told me Rosalie had brought the plushie to the hospital.

I leaned down to whisper in Jake's ear, "I'm back, wolf. I have good news and I can't wait to tell you. Wake up soon; won't you, Jacob? I miss you."

I rubbed his palm and glanced at the monitors. I wanted to wrest their secrets so I could be sure my wolf was fine. I stuck my hands in my pockets and walked towards Billy.

He stared at his son with his hands folded upon his lap; Billy's patient demeanor matched his mind. "I talked to your sister, Cullen."

"Rosalie?"

He nodded. "She told me you refused to turn Jacob. So you were willing to let my son die?"

"Sir, allow me to explain..."

He lifted his hands. "I don't need any explanation. Suffice it to say that your choice pleases me."

I was bewildered. "My choice to let Jacob die?"

"No, your refusal to turn him into an abo…." Billy shut up, but his meaning was clear.

I hunched my shoulders. "You mean an abomination like me."

"I'm sorry." He smiled guiltily. "I know you are not like the other Cold Ones, but such were the mores my father taught me." He sighed wistfully. "It's hard to part with the old ways."

He waved his hand at Jacob. "I'm glad you respected my son enough to let him go. If you had turned him, Jacob would have been lost to me." Billy looked at Jake and I noticed how shiny his dark eyes were. His voice rumbled and filled the room; it made me forget the annoying humming of the machines, for his words held magic. "My son belongs to the air and forest of these lands. They gave us power and breathed life into our brittle bones. Jacob becoming a Cold One would have broken my heart and I assure you, Cullen, I would not have lingered on this earth for long."

"I understand, sir."

"I can't say I understand your kind, Cullen, but I admire your restraint. That's a good foundation to build upon, isn't it?"

"Indeed, sir."

Billy frowned at me. "I've heard Lahote mumbling about a fight you had with Jacob."

I bowed my head. "It was my fault, Mr. Black."

He waved his arm, accepting my apology. "I trust Jacob and you will work it out; young people react so strongly. How I wish my blood ran as hot as yours!"

I refrained from pointing out my cold body had no warmth to speak of.

"Youth is selfish," Billy said somberly. "You thought only of your woman and yourself, without considering my son's feelings." He lifted his hand to forestall my words. "For your sake, I hope you will do better in the future."

"I will try, sir."

"I'll tell you again that I'm pleased you thought of Jacob first. That wasn't selfish at all and I admire your intention to let him go. I'm glad you refrained because Jacob has a role to play in this living land." Seeing my woebegone expression, Billy said softly, "Everyone does, including you, Edward."

His wheelchair creaked as Billy made his way to the night table next to the bed and poured water into a glass. After he drank his fill, he went on. "Let me tell you a story my father told me when I was Jacob's age. It's the tale of the two wolves."

His deep voice rumbled as Billy intertwined his hands. "There was a grandfather, an old man wise in the ways of our world. He gathered his grandchildren around his tepee. He felt his end approaching and wanted to give his family part of the wisdom he'd earned." Billy shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe Q'wati himself taught him in a dream."

Billy sipped his water and gently put down the glass. The beeping of the monitors served as counterpoint to his deep voice and lent a surreal quality to the tale. "The old man told them about the fight raging inside his heart. You see, he said had two wolves inside. One was evil, the fear and anger he'd gathered in his long years, and his sorrow and greed. This evil wolf battled the good one which stood for hope and kindness, the joy he felt when he saw his children and his children's children growing up. The compassion he felt for the living things crawling and walking upon the earth, and his faith that the tribe would grow strong."

Billy rolled his wheelchair towards Jake. It seemed to me that he was telling the story for Jacob's benefit, too. Billy bent down and gently patted Jake's strong chest. He lowered his voice into a whisper, "This fight goes on inside everyone; even you, Jacob."

He turned and looked at me sharply. "The boys and girls asked the old man a simple question: Which wolf will win?"

He paused for a minute and raised his eyebrows. "How would you answer that, Edward?"

"I don't know, Mr. Black."

"The grandfather replied: The wolf you feed will win."

I nodded solemnly. "So we have to do good."

Billy shook his head. "I used to think so. In fact, that was what I said to my father; but now I know better. A wolf does what it must to survive because the world is a harsh place. The wolf is a predator, just like man." Billy smiled bitterly. "Predators aren't usually nice. Man follows wolf, so he must do what he can to endure."

Billy glanced down at his son. "But Q'wati fashioned man out of wolf, and gave them both wisdom and heart. Let that guide you, Edward."

oOoOo

The hours passed swiftly, dusk tinted the window an ochre color until it faded into black. People came in to visit Jacob, young Quileutes and friends of Billy's.

I grew to learn the personnel of the hospital. Using my charm, it was easy to persuade the nurses to cough up reports on my wolf. It did me no good, however, because I wasn't acquainted with the medical lingo. I just nodded in satisfaction when I saw Nurse Franklin had underlined the words, 'Amazing recovery.'

While I was away, Chief Swan visited Jacob; Charlie's mind was fraught with fear. Jacob was, after all, one of his last links to Bella. Sorrow weighed heavily on my mind because Charlie and I shared that link, and I knew we would never grow close. I was the cause of her death and neither Charlie nor I could ever forget that.

Bella's father was an active part of the world. He lived in the moment and was everything I couldn't be, just like my wolf. I envied them so much their ability to stand in the sun, that vulnerability which allowed them to age until they would find their days coming to an end.

I came back to Jacob's bedside around 10 o'clock. Seth was reading a comic book; rather, he was describing it to Jake.

"Just like I told you, this Green Lantern is a wimp!" Seth muttered as he stared intently at the glossy pages. "Sorry I didn't lend it to you, Jake; belongs to Nathan and I've got to give it back."

He smiled at me and pocketed the comic; then he went to Jake's bed, "Gotta go, man. Your guy's here." Seth patted his shoulder. "Sleep tight."

The Quileute winked at me on the way out. "Jake's looking better, Edward. He woke up briefly; they're going to take out the catheter soon."

I cringed when he said that. I hated the notion of Jake's perfect body marred by all these medical devices, but they were essential.

"Thank you, Seth!" I waved at the young Quileute.

I hooked my foot around the leg of the chair and dragged it towards the bed. Then I leaned down and grabbed the stuffed wolf from beneath the bed; I had persuaded the nurses to leave it in the room. I ran my hands through the soft fur, smiling at the way Rosalie snarled at me when I asked her to fetch it from the house.

It was silly, but Kwolie reminded me of our date and gave me hope that things could be as good as they were that day.

Jacob's eyes fluttered open; I stood up and smiled down at him, running my fingers through his forearm.

He licked his lips, and I grabbed the carafe. "Do you want some water, Jacob?"

Jake shook his head, and then it hit me like a rock. I couldn't read his thoughts. He was awake and aware of his surroundings, but all I caught were faint wisps, nothing concrete at all. It was similar to the eerie silence which shielded Bella, but much worse because I had become addicted to Jake's sensual imagery. It was the perfect counterpoint; his joy balanced my pain. Jacob's mind was a veritable carnival of sensations in which whimsical and serious thoughts mixed delightfully. I would miss that very much.

He must have seen my grimace of despair because he raised his eyebrows. I hunched my shoulders and put the carafe back on the table. "It's nothing, Jake; all that matters is that you heal completely."

Jacob reached his hand to my face, whispering, "'Kwop kilawtley."

I frowned, damning to hell the people that shot him. Was Jake cursing me because he was still mad at me? Was it some endearment in Quileute? Just when I had urgent need of my damned power, it vanished suddenly. Why did fate torture me so?

Seeing my indecision, Jake growled softly and took back his hand. He turned his head and, in the bright light of the lamps embedded in the headboard, I saw his eyes were shining with unshed tears.

What had he said? No Quileute was nearby so I couldn't glean the meaning out of anyone's mind. It dawned on me how useless I was without this power, especially when it affected my relationship with the most important person in my life.

"Forgive me, Jacob," I muttered hoarsely. "I'm sorry I've caused you so much pain."

I cupped his chin and gently turned his head so he would look at me. Taking a deep, unneeded breath, I plunged ahead. My voice was raw with emotion as I poured out my feelings to him. "I'm in love with you. I love you so much!"

My thumb rubbed his exquisitely soft russet skin while I plodded ahead. "I wish I could say it better; play with words like an instrument, the way I did with…" I trailed off and smiled bitterly. "Never mind that, it's in the past and you're my future. Don't you know what you do to me? You drive every thought from my head, Jake."

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply; seeking Jake's smell among the disinfectants, medicines, and metallic devices. My nostrils flared as I drank his scent, as vital and earthy as the forest. I opened my eyes and drank the sight of him. "You're the sun that outshines everything, my Jacob. The star I can't ever touch which sucks me into its orbit. You're everything I'm not; and I love you so, so very much."

I felt warmth on my nape as Jake looped his arm around my neck to pull me down. He was smiling at me. My mouth gently touched his and we kissed.

I framed his head with my hands as my lips tentatively rubbed against his. The kiss was awkward, with those bandages on the way and the annoying background humming of the machines around us; the hospital light and the murmuring of the people outside were distracting.

Nevertheless, it was the best kiss of my life because it was filled with wonder, the hope and joy that Jake would recover, that he had forgiven me. He was mine and I his; and I would never let him go.

Jacob moaned softly, "Edward."

My palm rested against his broad chest as I soaked up the sound of his beating heart. I treasured its reassurance; I wanted to hold it in my mind as I reminder of what I had gained. I broke our contact and peppered his eyelids with soft kisses. "Please, Jacob, don't ever leave me. Stay with me forever!"

My forehead touched the soft cloth of his bandages. I tilted up my chin and muttered against his cheek, "I'm sorry, Jacob; I don't want any more secrets between us. I want forever with you, but you must know that…"

He puzzled his eyebrows in concentration and mouthed the word, "What?"

"You were very sick last night. I despaired because I thought you were going to die." I sighed sadly and looked into his warm brown eyes. "I couldn't turn you into a monster like me, Jacob. You see, I was willing to let you die."

His fingers grazed my lips and he said another word in Quileute. I kissed his cheek, his nose and finally his lips before continuing. "Do you see, Jacob? I tried to do the selfless thing and do what was best for you. I'm willing to let you go, just like I did with the girl in the meadow we visited, remember?"

I waited on tenterhooks for his answer. Would Jake remember our date or had the memory been erased?

He nodded, and the gesture lifted my spirits considerably. I whispered huskily, "I took the road that leads to you, Jacob. I'll always come to you as long as you want me. You're stuck with me, wolf, and it's all your fault because you've changed me forever."

Jake raised his eyebrows, obviously thinking at me. When I didn't reply, he whispered, "Answer… me!"

I gulped and touched his lips, my thumb tracing a path up and down his perfect cheek. "I can't read your thoughts anymore, Jacob. Carlisle operated on you to make sure you healed perfectly. He cut open that pretty head of yours and one of the results is I can't read you."

"Doesn't…. matter." He stumbled upon the words as if they were in a foreign language. "Stay with me… forever."

"Always, Jacob; you won't get rid of me."

He nodded somberly and then he said with a croak, "What else?"

I smiled at him as I stood and then retrieved the stuffed wolf from its place. I held it up and waved its head at Jacob.

He shot me a wide grin. "Kwolie!"

I put Kwolie on the bed and Jake patted its head awkwardly. My fingers intertwined with his, taking care not to disturb the IV drip. "Kwolie has come to visit you, with your pack and your father. As for the other news, I can say you'll be very glad."

I leaned down and whispered into his ear, "Carlisle tells me something in your brain changed. He says you won't imprint, ever."

"Sure?"

"He's quite sure. I'm glad for us, Jacob…" I couldn't go on because the nurse entered the room.

She looked over the monitors, writing the results on her pad. I read the name on her ID, Anna Franklin. She put a hand on her broad hips and frowned at me over her glasses. "You're Dr. Cullen's son, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then you should know enough not to disturb this young man!" She dissolved a white tablet in a plastic bulb and leaned down, canting it up so Jake could drink from a straw.

"I'm sorry, Nurse Franklin," I mumbled. I couldn't help but notice the way Jake's eyes lit up when the nurse chastised me; and to top it off, he shot her his trademark boyish grin.

"Atta boy!" said Nurse Franklin, patting Jacob's hand when he finished drinking.

I wasn't that angry when I noticed Jacob's smug grin; I was too busy drinking the sight of his lips curling upward.

"Well, if you are going to be the one taking care of Mr. Black here." The nurse looked pointedly at me. "There are things you have to know. I'm amazed at the way Jacob has rebounded from his surgery." She positively beamed at him. "You should get your first hospital meal in the morning; afterwards we'll take you off the IV drip."

She pressed a button on a black box and the front of the bed lifted up a bit. The nurse gave me pointers about Jacob's care; she spoke briskly and professionally. I took careful note of her advice, though I doubted it would come in handy, given my wolf's healing ability.

After Nurse Franklin left, tutting at me one last time, Jacob yawned. I bent down to pick Kwolie up from its place on the floor where the nurse had put it.

"Here." I laid the stuffed wolf next to Jacob's hips. "Do you need anything, Jake? I'm so frustrated that I can't read you."

"'m fine; thanks!" Jake yawned again, but the way he smirked when he thought I wasn't watching gave me pause. I wanted so much to find out what he was thinking!

oOoOo

Emmett patted my shoulder. 'I'm glad your wolf is okay, Edward.'

I nodded at him. He cocked his head at the cabin in the middle of the woods. It stood forlornly in the sun, and for a moment it seemed like a ghost ship in the middle of Washington State. 'Those wolves, Sam and Jacob's friends, are on the other side. Jasper planned their patrols, they shift randomly.'

"Can you see anything?" I asked my sister.

Alice glided towards me, her green jacket shining in the morning sun. 'I see the outcome. They die. Everything else is veiled.'

"Good." I nodded at her; I had no sympathy for the people who shot Jake.

I had treasured the sight of Jacob leaving the hospital in the ambulance. After they took him off the IV drip, Carlisle managed to persuade the director of the hospital that Jacob should be transferred to Forks Community Hospital. Of course, my wolf was going straight home.

The time had come to settle our debts.

I patted Emmett's broad shoulder and he ran to the cabin; the force of the impact split the door. As slivers of wood rained around us, Alice and I followed him inside. There were two people, a blond man whose surprised look was comical and a thick, middle-aged bearded guy.

They were sitting at the table, typing on the keyboard of a desktop. Thick cables ran from the middle of the cabin and disappeared into the earth. They would provide a noose for the bastards if it came to that.

They snarled at us and the older man tackled Emmett. I wasn't that interested in him because the blond's thoughts betrayed him. It was him who shot my wolf!

There was something strange about his thought pattern; it had a certain patina, like those old portraits where they painted a new version over the original.

I made for him and wrapped my arms around his torso. He wrestled me to the ground which was hard to do for a mortal. He wasn't a vampire though, because his eyes were the bluest I had ever seen.

I didn't have time to delve deeper into his mind as we struggled. Somehow, the older guy escaped Emmett and Alice and dashed out of the cabin. It struck me as odd that the man was able to escape Emmett's strength and Alice's clairvoyance. It didn't matter though, because the wolves waited for him on the other side. I smiled sinisterly; Quil and Embry were in the mood to play cat and mouse with the man who wanted to kill their best friend.

As I tried to tear off the blond's arm, something odd happened. My feet slipped on the ground; it felt like someone had pulled a rug under me. I found myself floating in midair. The feeling was surreal, like being on an elevator which is under free fall. I was acquainted with the sensation because it featured prominently in Jacob's nightmares. It was one of his scenarios when he dreamed of imprinting.

I looped my arms around the man's neck and pulled him towards me, snarling at him, "Who do you work for, the Volturi?"

He sneered; his thin, pink lips twisting in an ugly line. His thoughts told me the man, whose name was André, did work for the Volturi. There was something more sinister beneath those thoughts, and I knew there was a camouflaged layer underneath. I had to dig in deeper and, as I knew only too well, there was nothing like pain to scrape the surface.

I held onto his torso as I tilted down my chin, fighting against this strange surge of upended gravity, this power of his that defied physics. I bit into his neck with hunger born from the desire to inflict pain, to avenge Jacob. I let my baser instincts rise to the surface. I knowingly fed my evil wolf.

I became the killer I despised as I drank his blood, injecting him with painful venom.

The man screamed and his mind became unhinged by pain. In the scant time before he died, I glimpsed strange vistas: swirling multi-colored dust that looked eerily familiar, an ochre desert in the middle of nowhere. He met a Volturi just as blond as he was. Gravity shifted around him. There was a programmed urge to destroy the wolves, to sow chaos so a new seed could be planted. The overwhelming need to cull and destroy.

The man's yelling stopped abruptly, becoming a pathetic gurgle as he died.

I fell to the floor on top of the body; then I stood up and kicked it away, wiping the blood off my lips with the back of my hand. I squinted at my hand because the blood had a strange, dark tint; and being intimately acquainted with blood, I knew the man was not a mere mortal.

Emmett punched my shoulder. "Well done, Edward. Nice to see Jacob has rubbed off on you!"

I glared at him. "And the other bastard?"

"The wolves got him. I'd better remember not to piss off those guys!" My brother cocked his head at the door where I heard the sounds of ripping flesh.

Alice walked up to me and touched my cheek; her voice tinged with wonder as she said, "Edward, you should see the color of your eyes!"

tbc

AN: in Quileute mythology, Q'wati is the Transformer who made them out of wolves.
"Kwop kilawtley" means "Stay with me forever." It's what Jake said to Bella before Alice called.
"The tale of the two wolves" is a Native American tale.

The angsty part of the story is over, there will be tension but now it will deal with adventure. The next chapter might be JPOV.